The checkered flag waves on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, marking the top of the primary day of pre-season testing in Sakhir. Between a blackout and completely different staff packages, let’s check out what occurred on the primary of three take a look at days within the Manama desert.
The primary take a look at day at Sakhir ended at 18:00 Central European Customary Time. On the conclusion of Day 1 in Bahrain, Lando Norris topped the timesheets. The McLaren driver set the quickest lap at 1:30.430 on medium tires (C3, the delicate compound for the Bahrain GP weekend). The Woking staff’s driver edged out George Russell’s Mercedes by simply over a tenth and Max Verstappen’s Pink Bull by about two-tenths.
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Nevertheless, discussing lap occasions in testing is at all times untimely. Pre-season checks will not be like free follow periods throughout a race weekend, and staff packages are much more different. Nonetheless, the entrance of the grid seems to be fairly compact, with the highest groups not exhibiting vital gaps from each other.
Day 1 in Bahrain welcomed the groups with unusually cool climate for the area. The temperature remained round 15°C all through the day, creating situations very completely different from these anticipated on the Grand Prix in April.
The quickest lap occasions had been recorded within the afternoon, because the observe grew to become extra rubbered in and situations improved. An influence outage on the circuit additionally disrupted staff packages, forcing race management to increase the session by an hour.
Ferrari in exploration mode and McLaren constant: how the highest groups labored
All 20 drivers hit the observe on the primary day of testing in Bahrain. At 08:00 Italian time, the pit lane mild turned inexperienced, signaling the beginning for Hamilton, Lawson, Piastri, and Antonelli.
Mercedes
One of many surprises of the morning was undoubtedly Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian rookie carried out nicely within the new Mercedes W16, finishing constant stints and setting the quickest time of the session at 1:34.428 (seventh total by the top of the day). The younger Bologna native instantly confirmed a superb reference to the automobile, which, in line with teammate Russell, is a transparent step ahead from the W15, notably by way of dealing with.
After lunch, Antonelli handed the automobile over to George Russell. The Briton confirmed the optimistic impressions from the morning, ending the day in second place, only a tenth behind chief Norris.
Kimi Antonelli – P7 – 1:34.428 – Laps accomplished: 78
George Russell – P2 – 1:30.587 – Laps accomplished: 70
Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton was the primary Ferrari driver to take to the observe on Day 1, getting his first style of the brand new SF-25 in Sakhir. The seven-time world champion accomplished 70 laps however by no means really satisfied. Earlier than lunch, the SF-25 appeared fairly unsettled—first understeering on nook entry, then oversteering at mid-corner. Nevertheless, the state of affairs modified considerably within the afternoon with Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver discovered a automobile that was way more balanced, convincing, and sooner.
Ferrari launched a number of updates on its new automobile, making it clear that the primary day was about exploration—understanding the automobile in several situations.
Lewis Hamilton – P13 – 1:31.834 – Laps accomplished: 70
Charles Leclerc – P4 – 1:30.878 – Laps accomplished: 71
Pink Bull
First Lawson, then Verstappen. Regardless of not being among the many pre-test favorites for a lot of, Pink Bull instantly confirmed a stiff and low experience peak. With the ground making shut contact with the asphalt, the brand new Milton Keynes automobile carried out nicely—particularly within the palms of Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman, on observe within the afternoon, completed third total. Greater than his lap time—which is secondary in testing—what stood out was his outstanding consistency, producing extremely steady stints.
Liam Lawson – P8 – 1:31.560 – Laps accomplished: 58
Max Verstappen – P3 – 1:30.674 – Laps accomplished: 74
McLaren
The reigning constructors’ champions from 2024, McLaren enters 2025 because the staff to beat. For the primary day of testing in Bahrain, the British squad fielded Oscar Piastri within the morning session and Lando Norris within the afternoon.
Probably the most notable insights from the papaya-colored camp got here from Lando Norris, who set the quickest lap of the day. The Briton topped the Day 1 timesheets in Sakhir, capping off a well-balanced session. As anticipated, McLaren adopted an easy program, persevering with seamlessly from its 2024 progress.
Oscar Piastri – P17 – 1:32.084 – Laps accomplished: 66
Lando Norris – P1 – 1:30.430 – Laps accomplished: 52
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